Kyria Anna Maleine's Blog of Fun Recreating Byzantine History

Fermenting Cabbage

Thus far the cabbage in the salt brine is fermenting with all the correct odors and none of the “uh-oh” elements (like mold which means dump it in the compost, sterilize the pot and try again). My pot was left warmer than ideal over the weekend. It is still fine!

WE open it up, taste and put it in jars in the fridge in another week. No, fridges are not period, but this is anachronism!

In period, they would just keep it under the brine until it is all eaten. They might have rows of pots of cabbage preserved in this manner. I read it is popular as a method in period for preserving other veggies as well.

Did you know botulism gets its name from sausage because until modern canning the usual way someone got poisoned with botulism’s toxins was from badly preserved sausage? Apparently the salt brine encourages a ph that is so hostile to botulism and its like that it will not grow in a fermentation pot.